How to check if your phone is hacked: Today's world of technology is fraught with many threats, and your phone can become a victim.
This information was reported by Forbes, as reported by URA-Inform.
You can find out if your device is broken by several obvious signs.
How to check if your phone has been broken
Check your phone battery
One of the most common signs that your phone has been hacked is a quickly draining battery. This can also lead to the phone overheating. If you see a noticeable difference, there may be a problem.
Check your phone bill
Another sign that your phone has been hacked may be higher than usual bills because your phone is performing unauthorized actions. A spike in the amount of data you use may indicate that your phone is sending unwanted messages.
Audit the apps on your phone
If your phone has been hacked, new apps may appear, existing ones may take a long time to load, and others may open or close on their own.
Recognize suspicious messages and settings
Sometimes you may see unexpected messages, two-factor authentication codes or pop-ups that you didn't ask for, or settings like camera or microphone permissions may change.
Check your accounts
The most alarming sign is when your Apple ID, Google, or other online accounts are suddenly locked out. What to do if your phone is hacked?
If you find out that your phone has been hacked, there are some important steps you should take immediately to try to prevent hackers from causing more damage than necessary.
Check your financial apps
Your first port of call may be your bank, credit card, and other financial apps to make sure your accounts haven't been compromised.
Change your passwords
Your next step, and one of the most important, is to immediately change all passwords to new and secure ones. This should be done for all apps and websites connected to the infected phone.
Delete suspicious apps
Audit all the apps on your phone and delete any suspicious or unknown ones. Restart your phone and check it again to make sure the deletion was successful.
Reset settings
If all else fails, factory reset your phone. If you're getting a lot of pop-ups or malicious apps and all else fails, you can factory reset your phone, though this means losing everything stored on your device, so it's a very risky option.
Warn your friends
It's a good idea to let your friends and other contacts know that your phone has been hacked, and warn them to ignore and delete any messages that seem to come from your phone.
How to Protect Your Phone from Future Hackers
Whether you've already been hacked or not, there are some basic cybersecurity measures you can take to protect your phone from future attackers. It's important to keep your software up to date, as they often patch known vulnerabilities. Make sure your passwords are strong. Beware of public charging stations and public Wi-Fi, and as an extra precaution, you can turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not in use.
For extra protection, you can encrypt your phone, lock your SIM card, and use a virtual private network, which should make public Wi-Fi more secure.
Recall that earlier we reported on how to keep your smartphone from overheating in the summer: effective tips.